Roman Josi and Simon Moser’s quest for an Olympic medal ended today at the hands of the Latvian national team. Team Switzerland lost in the qualification round by a score of 3-1, thanks in part to some stellar goaltending by Edgars Masalskis. They were the second team to stage an upset, after Slovenia defeated Austria while you were asleep.
Latvia now moves on to face Shea Weber and the Canadians in the quarterfinal game tomorrow at 11 a.m. CST. Switzerland winning would have made an interesting storyline for Predators fans, as all three of their Olympians would have played on the same sheet of ice.
After scoring the game-winning goal with 7.9 seconds left against the same Latvian team, Moser wasn’t able to get on the score sheet again. He wasn’t alone, though, as offensive problems plagued the Swiss all tournament long. They relied mostly on their defense and the stellar play of Jonas Hiller. Only four other players on the team were able to muster a single point.
Josi was getting over 20 minutes a night and, though he didn’t put up any points, he still looked comfortable and reliable on the back end.
For now, Preds fans can look forward to seeing Shea Weber in action tomorrow. Weber has registered two goals and two assists in the tournament and has looked every bit as dangerous as fans in Nashville see him every night.